Doherty – ‘We have a burning desire to succeed’

colerainefc.com’s Jonathan McNabb caught up with Ben Doherty after the midfielder made his return from injury in the 2-0 win against Ballymena United last weekend…

The L/Derry man had missed the last six games in all competitions with a hamstring injury but made a timely return as he was a used substitute in the win against the Sky Blues.

After scoring in every round of the BetMcLean League Cup, the ex-Glenavon ace would cruelly miss the final and the subsequent Irish Cup victories against Banbridge Town and Larne.

However, he is hopeful that he can have a fresh start ahead of the business end of the season.

“I’m delighted to back amongst it,” Doherty said.

“It was very frustrating getting injured, especially as I had just returned from a similar injury, and then it constantly broke down on me.

“It’s been hard on the sidelines watching and there was obviously some mixed emotions as the boys are doing well, yet it was difficult to feel a part of it.

“The boys have been flying and got through two rounds of the Irish Cup, obviously won the League Cup and stayed in touch with the table toppers with some big results against other top six clubs.”

The 22-year-old – who was awarded the NIFWA Player of the Month for October – remains the Bannsiders’ top scorer this term with 15 goals and he is relishing the final seven league fixtures, plus the Irish Cup semi-final against Ballymena United.

However, the former Northern Ireland under-21 international is under no illusions about the improved competition for places after the signings of Stewart Nixon and Curtis Allen.

“My aim is to try and stay injury free for the run-in and hope to contribute with goals and assists,” he added.

“The lads that have come in have hit the ground running and we now have a squad full of confident and competitive players that want to win.

“The League Cup success has definitely added the desire for more success.”

Boss Oran Kearney revealed post-match against United that Doherty could have returned against Glenavon, but he opted to give the midfielder an added few days in his recovery.

“It is really good to have him back. We put the brakes on him on Tuesday night against Glenavon and he was probably ready to play at a push against Larne,” Kearney concluded.

“He could have come off the bench against Glenavon but we purposely put the brakes on him.

“Ben was chomping at the bit to start but in the same stretch I only wanted to get 25 or 30 minutes into him to make sure the rehab is completed correctly.

“He is a massive player for us and has weighed in with a lot of goals for us this season and the key thing is when we get him back, we get him back for good.

“There is no point rushing back for something silly and he misses out again.”